(This page is published by some of the friends of ATSESchool. The school does not have the

resources to maintain it’s own web site. We are hoping simply
to inform and widen the circle of

friends that the school has. Please be generous with your
thoughts and gifts.)

AtseTekleGhiorgisSchool began in the 1960’s as a centre for
educating the children of leprosy victims and handicapped people who were
ostracised by society. Today it continues to help the poorest of the poor who
are not able to attend government schools because of registration fees and the
cost of uniform. Here there is no registration fee. As regards the uniform, the
parents are asked to pay for the material, and the school pays for the making
of the uniform. So the cost to the parents is small and they can pay by
instalments. It is good for the dignity of the family to make a contribution
towards the cost. In addition to receiving education the school also provides a
simple daily meal which may be porridge, beans or bread. For some students this
is the only meal that they get and one frequently sees students putting food in
their pockets to take home to their siblings. Medical care is also provided.
The alternative for these children is begging on the streets of Addis. There
are large numbers begging there including children who beg late into the night.

The words
of Sister Mary Mitchell who helps run ATSE –

“At
present there are 869 students registered at the school from Kindergarten to
Grade 8. There are two shifts starting at 8 o’clock in the morning and finishing at 5 o’clock in the
evening. That means that the students attend class for half a day, which is the
same as the government schools. When they are not in class they are free to use
the library and do their homework, as they do not have the facilities at home
because of poor housing which may consist of one room and also over-crowded
conditions. As many as four families can be living in one small room.”

“The
school is situated in the Ketchne area of Addis Ababa - one of the poorest areas of the city. It is very
difficult to describe the poverty that most of the children live in. Some of
the children are orphans, others come from single parent families where the
parent may be blind or a victim of leprosy and in cases where there are two
parents both may be blind. Here in the compound of the school as well as on the
streets one can regularly see children leading blind parents or grandparents.
The main source of income for these people is begging. The children lead them
to a particular site before they attend school and collect them after school.
One student told me that her father begs to feed the family. The mother has no
hands - a victim of leprosy. There are some families who engage in small income
generating activities such as making Injera (a local food), washing clothes,
selling small quantities of fruit and vegetables and selling lottery tickets.”

The school
depends totally on donations for its existence. It has no other source of
income. The staff and students appreciate very much the efforts made by all
their benefactors and include them in their prayers.

Donations,
whether financial or in the form of much
needed school equipment, can be sent direct to

ATSESchool,

PO Box 28,

Addis Ababa,

Ethiopia.

If you
have any questions, or prefer to deal with a UK contact, please contact Sister Anne Fitzgerald at